“The essence of all snobbery, DJ Taylor says, is the making of arbitrary distinctions. It consists of “imposing yourself on a social situation, pulling rank, indicating, with varying degrees of subtlety, your own detachment from the people in whose presence you find yourself”. As such, it is both an unlikable characteristic and a very human one.”
Author: Douglas McLennan
The Small Town Orchestra Manager That Could
Jane Hill runs the small Eureka Symphony in California. She’s pragmatic, creative, and has strong ideas about what her orchestra’s role in her community is. “Hill’s notion is that a programming strategy must be flexible and relevant but also ambitious. “Any small town orchestra having to focus on Pops concerts, film music, and country and western music to stay alive — I shouldn’t be critical but I really believe this — to me that means they’ve chosen to limit what they think the audience will buy, with the result that no one is paying close attention to broadening the classical-music taste and interests of the audience. Or the potential audience.”
No Instruments? These People In Paraguay Formed An Orchestra Using Objects From A Landfill
Recycled Orchestra and the focus of the documentary Landfill Harmonic. Founded by environmental consultant and guitarist Favio Chávez, the orchestra plays on instruments made from trash. Over the course of 10 years, the orchestra has grown from just a few musicians to over 35. The students have even performed with heavy metal band Megadeth and with Metallica.
John Killacky’s Pocket Guide To The Culture Wars Of The 1990s And What We Did/n’t Learn
John was one of the most important defenders of freedom of expression, and here he recounts the history and reflects on what we learned or didn’t learn. “The art world got tripped up and confused, supporting only work we liked, but “like” should be criteria at home for above the couch. Freedom of expression is a more precious commodity than taste. Conservative critics were very clear about their moral imperative as they vilified artists and terrorized institutions. No one won the culture war; we lost it.”
More Concerns About Artists And Brexit
“British artists may have to spend more time and money on items like visas for tours if freedom of movement rules are tightened. The federation also raised fears about areas like funding and copyright.”
Sure Artificially Intelligent Machines Will Learn. But How Will We Make Them Accountable?
The opacity of machine learning isn’t just an academic problem. More and more places use the technology for everything from image recognition to medical diagnoses. All that decisionmaking is, by definition, unknowable—and that makes people uneasy. My friend Zeynep Tufekci, a sociologist, warns about “Moore’s law plus inscrutability.” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says we need “algorithmic accountability.”
Jaap van Zweden’s Global Dance
The conductor leads two orchestras on different sides of the world, and the disconnects aren’t just geographic. “The New York and Hong Kong orchestras are not just distant geographically — they are also at very different phases of their development, requiring different types of effort from their shared music director.”
Toronto’s Debt-Free Orchestra Makes It 16 Years In A Row
“Announced yesterday at Tafelmusik’s 2016 annual general meeting, they achieved an impressive 16-year balanced budget streak with an operating surplus of $107,017 on a budget of $5.4 mil. Ticket sales rose by $5,501 from last year’s $1.7 million.”
Report Tries To Tally Cultural Industries Impact Of Brexit
The UK cultural sector’s ties in the EU are financial and artistic. So what are the costs for artists in Britain’s decision to leave?
Mary Boone Gallery Accuses Alec Baldwin Of Tax Avoidance In Disputed Art Case
Mr. Baldwin’s dispute with Ms. Boone, a prominent gallerist who built her reputation in the 1980s, has lifted a curtain on a part of the New York art world outsiders don’t always see.